turnout pen? cost of laying hardcore?

NeverSayNever

NeverSayNever

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can anyone help? i urgently need to get a turnout pen made for my Welsh D and her Mini shetland companion as last Friday their field flooded badly and the fences are gone, everything, its wrecked:( I have a small paddock and stable they are in at the back of my house but with the weather still being awful and this potentially being what I have to manage with all winter, Im wanting to section off a sort of hard standing turn out pen for them in front of the stable to help with managing it when the weather is really rank. I already feel terrible about this but I figure there are plenty of horses who in this weather are in all the time and at least this way they wont be too cooped up. So people who have had hardcore laid, do you mind sharing how it cost? I will have to get someone in to do it....
 
I cannot help with costs but it will be expensive if you use a contractor. Ask around and find a man with a digger - lots of farmers have them round me and are happy to do a days digging for a few pounds. The hardcore will be the expensive part and it may be more cost effective to get it trucked over and tipped in onsite rather than going through B&Q and the likes. Good luck and sorry to hear of your lost land.
 
Sounds like you've had a nightmare!

We keep our horses on a hardcore and chippings turnout pen during the day in winter. They both get bad mudrash, and the other alternative is staying in most of the day and just going out for an hour each day in the field. They both seemed mentally much more relaxed mooching round on the hardcore all day with haynets dotted around. They could see everything going past/on, get lots of fresh air, and have contact with each other.. We electric fence the area. Its also very easy to poo pick the area - much quicker than mucking out a day's poop!

We got the initial hardcore for free, great big chunky stuff, then a local farmer flattened it for us. We then paid for lorry loads of road chippings. When I saw a road crew re doing a road I asked them what they did with the old chippings. They said they sell them, and had a list of farmers etc in the area who would take them. I got added to the list. Whenever they're in the area they ring to see if we want any. They were £100 for a 4 wheel lorry load (20 ton? Can't remember).

Cost wise we already had a lot of hardcore down from when we did the stables, so we had two or three tractor trailer loads of the rough hardcore to extend it, then four or five loads of chippings.

This is the result.. £600-700 to do, but worth every penny.

autumnwinter2011037-1.jpg
 
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yeh we really did:o not sure if you saw my ‘rescue mission’ thread

my field:(
DSCF3419.jpg


the actual road:rolleyes:
2012-10-12173707.jpg


that looks great honey08 and makes me feel better! How big is your area roughly do you know?

The local quarry is only 5 miles away and have quoted me £189 for 15 tonnes delivered. this is for type1 (sand/gravel) which is £8 + vat and they seem to think this stuff would do the job, they also have type1 crushed rock at £12.50 + vat. :confused: Im rubbish at this stuff so no idea of the difference:o
 
We use road scalpings for our access track and around the bits of the stables that are concreted, they work really well if you get the squashed in firmly enough :)
 
Ooh those photos...

Opened this thread as i need to put something in my pens, but really wasn't expecting such a dramatic scene.

Good luck sorting something for your horses.
 
We are in the process of doing the same.....mainly because i have FAR to many horses & not enough land, but thats another story. We are lucky that originally someone has a massive area of hardcore laid out the front & to the side of our stables.....but over the years its become covered with mud, so we are moving the mud by barrow & shovel (very time consuming) & then we are going to put wood chippings on top of this once it is clear, although the underneath is very solid its very uneven, we can get the wood chip for free so made sense to do it this way.
 
Wow! Thats shocking.

The area goes round to the stable yard as well, so they can get in the overhand for shelter..

autumnwinter2011039.jpg


The area in total (L shape) is probably about 40mx15m?

If you look at the area behind the horse, that has no chppings on, that is clean hardcore - a bit like you've been quoted I think. With hay and horses on it it has got pretty muddy now (obviously not deep though) and water sits in puddles on that, while the chippings drain really well.. We hope to concrete over that bit to extend the main yard up to the two portable stables that he is eating hay next to.. Otherwise we would have chippings there too. We have even put a layer down the drive on top of the clean compact hardcore that is there, and it is better- less puddles. Still need another load to finish it.

View from other end..

autumnwinter2011038-1.jpg
 
You want to put a geotextile membrane like Terram underneath and stitch or glue it together. Over lapping is not enough it must be joined, we didn't and now have mud coming through one bit :mad: so will have to dig it up. Road planings will be just as good as hardcore and are cheaper.
 
How do you get road plannings??
I really want to put something down by the shelter and main gate for my lot....was going to use the plannings and then add something like pea gravel on top..... Horses are unshod....
To do a small area of about 40mx 40m how much would I need??
 
How do you get road plannings??
I really want to put something down by the shelter and main gate for my lot....was going to use the plannings and then add something like pea gravel on top..... Horses are unshod....
To do a small area of about 40mx 40m how much would I need??prob not even that big, 20x30...
 
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